Railway car



lJune"l8, 1946. w. E. WINE 2,402,267

RAILWAY CAR Fild Jly 16, 1943 7 VSheena-sheet r1 V, Jupe 1s, 1946.

v w. E. WINE I 2,402,267

RAILWAY CAR Filed July 16, 19415 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 w. E. WINE 2,402,257

RAILWAY CAR Fileduuly 1e, 1945 v sheets-sheet s June 1s, 1946.

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June 18, 1.946.l w. E. WINE 2,402,267

- RAILWAY GAR 'l r Filed July 16, 1943 'z shew-sheet 4 W. E. WINE 'June' 18, 1946.

RAILWAY CAR F'iled July 164, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 18, 1946.

W. E. WINE RAILWAY CAR v'7' Sheets-Sheet 6 Mmm, 5.

Filed July 16, 1945 June 18, 1946. w. E. WINE 2,402,257

RAILWAY CAR Filed July 16, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED YSTATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to the body construction of such cars.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a strong and durable car body construction employing synthetic boards or sheets in the walls and portions of the floor thereof in place of the customary metal sheets. I have found that by using synthetic board which is known to the trade. as hard board and is made from ligne-cellulosic materials, such as wood and the like, a car body may be constructed which will possess .the requisite strength and will be considerably more durable than one employing wood planning. Synthetic board of this character is hard, dense, homogeneous and grainless and is also practically impervious to water.

By substituting such synthetic board for the metal sheets usually used in the side and end walls of a hopper oar body and in portions of the door thereof, a saving of about 3000 pounds of metal in a 50 ton car can be effected resulting in a net reduction in the dead weight of the car of approximately 1100 pounds.

Specific features of the invention residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating the invention as applied to a railway hopper car,

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of somewhat more than one-half of a hopper car Figure 2 is a plan view of the portion of the car illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure is a vertical section through an end wall of the car and an adjoining portion of the inclined floor taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on a line corresponding to line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are longitudinal sectional Views of the car taken on lines 5-5 and 6--6 respectively of Figure 2.

Figures 7, 8, 9 and l0 are vertical sectional views through one of the side walls of the car on lines 'lL-, S-8, 9-9 and Ill- I0 respectively of Figure l.

Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line II-lI of Figure 1.

Figure 12 is a substantially vertical sectional view taken on line VII-IZ of Figure 1.

Figures 13 and 14 are transverse vertical sectional views taken on lines 13-[3 and Ill-I4 respectively of Figure 2.

Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18 are horizontal sectional views taken on lines l-l, lli-I5, I1-l1 and IS--l respectively of Figure 1.

12 Claims. (Cl. 105-409) Figure 19 is an end view of the hopper car.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I indicates the center sill, 2 the side sills, 3 the body bolsters and 4 the cross bearer. These parts of the car may be of any desired construction.

In addition to the side sills, each side of the car includes a side plate or top rail 5 and side stakes 6. The side plate and side sill of each side of the car have substantially vertical legs or flanges 'I and 8 respectively which are preferably disposed in the same vertical plane and rigidly secured to these flanges are the flanges 9 of the side stakes which may be conveniently of substantially U-shape in section.

The ends of the side sills are, as is customary, rigidly connected by end sills I0 and the ends of the side plates 5 are connected by end plates I i. Like the side plates, the end plates have substantially vertical legs or flanges I2 aording convenient means to which end stakes I3 and corner posts I4 connecting the end plates and end sills may be attached.

The car chosen for purposes of illustration is of the conventional twin hopper type having two pairs of hoppers depending downwardly on opposite sides of the center sill.Y As is customary, the floor portions at the end of the car incline downwardly from the end walls over the body bolster toward the hoppers and at the center the floor comprises inclined sheets I5 which diverge downwardly on opposite sides of the cross bearer il. Where the hoppers extend downwardly below the center sill, the latter is disposed within the lading carrying space of the car and at these portions it is provided with an arched hood I6 having oppositely inclined portions for deflecting the lading into the hoppers as it is being discharged from the car.

Each end wall of the car is formed by a single synthetic board I 1 made from ligno-cellulosic materials, such as wood and woody substances. This board is preferably arranged in vertical alignment with the vertical iange I2 of the end plate II and it is rigidly connected thereto by a pair of plates I8 which extend continuously from corner post to corner post in overlapping relation to opposite sides of the flange I2 and the upper portion of the board I'I. These plates which serve to enclose the upper edge of the board and thus protect it from the weather are connected to the end plate by conventional rivets but the rivets connecting them to the synthetic board are preferably of the hollow cylindrical type so that they may be driven cold. Rivets of this type have ample strength and I have found it best to use them wherever it is necessary for the securing means to pass through the synthetic boards.

The side edge portions of the end boards Il are arranged in overlapping relation with the anges i9 of the corner posts ill, a synthetic filler 2U of ligno-cellulosic material being interposed between the adjacent faces of the board and corner posts and metal washers 2l being interposed between the other face oi the board and the heads of the hollow rivets employed for connecting the board to the corner posts` It has been found preferable to employ washers in all cases where the heads of the rivets or other securing means would otherwise directly contact the synthetic board. The end boards are similarly connected to the end stakes i3.

Like the end walls, the side walls of the car are also formed of hard, dense, synthetic sheets of ligno-cellulosic materials, the boards on each side of the car between the end walls and the side stakes at the body bolsters being designated by the reference numeral 22, the boards on the other side of the body bolster stakes being designated by the numeral 23, the next adjacent boards by the numeral 2d and the boards on opposite sides of the stakes connected to the cross bearer being indicated by the reference numeral 25.

The distancel between each two adjacent side stakes 6 is such that boards of a width which are at present commercially obtainable will span the spaces between the side stakes and have their side edges arranged in abutting relation behind the stakes. The side edge portions of each two adjoining side wall boards are rigidly connected by hollow rivets to the flanges 9 of an adjacent side stake which overlap the outer faces of the boards and to a plate 222 which overlaps the inner faces of the boards.

The distance between the corner posts I4 and the side stakes at the ends of the body bolsters is greater than the widest synthetic board commercially available and it is, therefore, necessary to splice to the board 22 a small section of board 22a of the same material. This splicing is preferably accomplished by employing two metal plates El which are overlappingly secured to opposite faces of the boards 22 adjacent their side edges and extend all the way back to the adjacent corner post, completely covering the small sections of board 'lilla and being connected by hollow rivets to the inner face of the flanges 28 of the corner posts.

The upper portions of each of the boards forming the side walls of the car are connected to the vertical iiange l of each side plate in the same manner the boards forming the end walls are connected to the end plates. Thus the side wall boards are preferably disposed in vertical alignment with the flanges l" of the side plates and are rigidly connected thereto by plates 29 overlappingly secured to opposite sides of the flange 'l and the upper portions of the boards.

All but the side wall boards 22 are connected to the side sills 2, the connection between each of the other boards 23, 2L?. and 25 and the side sills being effected in slightly different ways due to the floor construction of the car. The connection between the side sills il and each of the side wall boards Z3 which extend below the side edges of the adjacent inclined floor of the car and which like all of the other side wall boards is disposed vertical alignment with the vertical ilange S of the adjacent side sill, is preferably accomplished byinner and outer plates Si] and 3l respectively which are overlappingly secured to opposite sides of the ange 8 of the side sill and of the lower portion of the board 23. The outer plate Si which is preferably of substantially triangular shape extends upwardly above the plane of the adjacentportion of the car floor and it is riveted alongone edge to the outer face of the flange of the side stake secured to the adjacent body bolster. The inner plate 3l) is arranged in overlapping relation to one of the end flanges 32 of the body bolster and is secured thereto by the same rivets connecting the outer plate 3l to the adjacent side stake. At its upper edge, the inner plate terminates in an inwardly projecting ange 33 underlying the adjacent portion of the floor to be hereinafter described.

The lower portions of the side wall boards 26'.. are connected to the vertical ilange of each side sill by a pair of plates Sli in just the same manner as the upper portions of the boards are connected to the vertical ilange l of each of the side plates. The inner ones of the plates Bri, however, constitutes the upper portion of the outer side sheet of the adjacent hopper. The side wall boards 2e do not extend downwardly below the plane of the adjoining inclined portions of the floor as do the side wall boards 23. Instead they terminate on an inclined line substantially coincident with the upper edges of upturned flanges Se with which the transverse ridge sheets l5 are integrally formed. These upturned anges and the lower portions of the Side wall boards 25 are .rigidly connected to each other and tothe vertical danges 8 of the adjacent side sill by substantially triangular plates 36. These plates are also rigidly secured along the edges thereof adjacent the cross bearer to the adjacent flanges of the adjoining side stakes which in turn are connected to the end flanges 31 of the cross bearer. The lower portions of the side wall boards 25 are additionally secured to the upturned ilanges 35 of the floor sheets I5 by plates 33 which are arranged in overlapping relation with the inner faces of the flanges and of the boards.

The inclined floor section at each end of the car is preferably formed of two laterally spaced synthetic boards 39 of ligno-cellulosic materials. Each of these oor boards extends continuously from the adjacent end wall of the car to the upper edge of the floor sheet lli] of the adjacent hopper and each is preferably about as wide as the upper portion of the hopper floor sheet. Intermediate their ends, the floor boards are supported by and connected to the inclined top flange il of the adjacent body bolster, oor strips l2 of ligno-cellulosic material being interposed between the boards and bolster ilange.

The inner side edges of the iioor boards are rigidly connected by a splice plate i3 which extends longitudinally of the car above the center sill. rIhe splice plate rests on the top Ilange of the body bolster and underlaps the inner side edge portions of the floor boards. It is preferably reinforced by a longitudinally extending member All which may be conveniently or inverted T-shape with the head of the T riveted to the splice plate and the stem thereof projecting upwardly.

The upper edge portions of the licor boards are rigidly connected to the lower portions of the adjacent end wall board Il of the car by an angularly shaped member l5 which extends continuously from one side of the car to the other and is riveted to the adjacent corner posts. This transverse member has an upright flange i6 which is overlappingly secured to the outer face of the lower portion of the end wall board and it also has a downwardly inclined ilange 41 which is secured in overlapping relation to the under side of the upper portions of the iioor boards 39, fillers 48 of ligno-cellulosic materials being interposed between the oor boards and flange. Similar angular members 49 are secured in overlapping relation to the inner faces of adjoining portions of the end wall and floor boards. These transverse members 49 do not extend continuously from side to side of the car like the member 45 but only extend for the width of the floor boards.

The upper portion of the splice plate 45 and the -reinforcing member 44 are rigidly secured to the inclined flange 4l of the transverse member 45 and the reinforcing member preferably terminates in an upturned portion 5d so that it may be additionally secured to the upright flange l of the transverse member, the lower central portion of the adjacent end board being recessed as indicated at 59a in Figure 19. At its lower end, the splice plate is rigidly connected to the top wall of the center sill I by an angularly shaped bracket 5l and it also underlaps and is rigidly secured to the adjacent end iiange portion 52 of the center sill hood iii. rlhe connection between the splice plate and center sill is made additionally secure by having the lower end of the reinforcing member d4 overlap the iiange 52 of the center sill hood and by riveting it thereto.

The outer edge portions of the floor boards 39 are connected to adjacent portions of both of the side wall sheets 22 and 23' by an angle member 53 having an upright flange 54 overlapping the inner faces of board 22 and 23 and an inwardly projecting inclined iiange 55 overlapping the upper face of the oor board. Where the floor boards are contiguous to the side wall boards 23, the upright flanges of the angles 53 are connected to the outer plates 3l and the inclined flanges 55 of each angle is rigidly connected to the nange 33 of the inner plate 3G on which the adjacent portion of the floor board rests. Where the floor boards are contiguous to the side wall boards 32, they are additionally secured together by an angle member 56 which is overlappingly secured to the outer face of the side wall board 22 and the under side of the iioor board as well as to both flanges of the angle member 53.

Intermediate each end wall of the car and the adjacent body bolster, the under side of the inclined floor may be supportingly reinforced by an angle 51 which extends continuously from one side of the car to the other. The floor may be additionally reinforced between the body bolsters and the adjacent hoppers by a pair of angles 53 each of which extends from a side wall of the oar to a point adjacent the center sill where it may be rigidly secured to the under side of the bracket 5l connecting the splice plate 43 to the center sill.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that an extremely strong and sturdy car has been devsed Whose walls and portions of its floor may be constructed of synthetic boards of ligne-cellulosic materials whereby a substantial saving in the amount of metal used in the car can be effected as well as a reduction in the dead weight of the car. Various modincations may be made in the speciiic detail features illustrated and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims and it is, of course, to be understood that, although the invention is shown as embodied in a 6 railroad car of the hopper type, this particular type of car has been Ychosen for illustrative purposes only and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited to that type of car.

What I claim is:

` 1. The improvement in railway cars of the type having side plates and side sills respectively provided with substantially vertical flanges, and side stakes connecting the side plates and side sills, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming portions of the side walls of the car and arranged in substantial vertical alignment with said flanges of the side plates and side sills, metal plates arranged in overlapping relation with opposite sides of the upper portions of said boards and the vertical flange of each side plate for enclosing said portions of the boards and for rigidly connecting them to the side plates, and additional metal plates arranged in overlapping relation with opposite sides of the lower portions of said boards and the vertical ange of each side sill for enclosing said lower portions of the boards and for rigidly connecting them to the side sills, said metal plates together with the vertical flanges of the side plates and side sills protecting the top and bottom edges of the boards from the weather and the side edges of the boards being disposed inwardlsr of the side stakes.

2. The improvement in railway hopper cars of the type having a center sill, hoppers on opposite sides of the cente-r sill, side stakes, end posts, side plates provided with substantially vertical nanges, and body bolsters, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials connected to said side stakes and end posts forming the side walls of the car, synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming portions of the floor of the car extending downwardly from each end of the car to said hoppers, supporting means for the last named boards intermediate the sides of the car, metal plates arranged on opposite sides of the upper portions of the side wall boards for connecting them to said vertical anges of the side plates and for enclosing the upper edges of said boards, and means rigidly connecting the portions of the door boards between the ends of the car and the body bolsters to adjacent side wall boards, said means including angularly shaped members overlapping opposite faces of the said portions of the iloor boards and adjacent side boards and enclosing the adjacent edge portions of both of said boards.

3. The improvement in railway cars of the type having a center sill, side plates and side sills respectively having substantially vertical flanges, side stakes, end posts, hoppers on opposite sides of the center sill, and body bolsters secured to the center sill, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials secured to the side stakes and end posts forming the side walls of the car, synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming portions of the floor of the car extending downwardly from each end of the car toward said hoppers, supporting .means for said last named boards intermediate the sides of the car, metal plates arranged on opposite sides of the lower portions of each of said side wall boards located between the two body bolsters of the car for connecting said boards to the vertical flanges of the side sills and for enclosing the lower edges of said boards, the said metal plates which overlap the inner faces of the side wall boards which adjointhe body bolsters respectively having inclined flanges underlying and rigidly secured to adjacent portions of said-floor boards.

4. The improvement in railway cars of the type having a center sill, side plates and side sills respectively having substantially vertical anges, side stakes, end posts, hoppers on opposite sides of the center sill, and body holsters secured to the center sill, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials secured to the side stakes and end posts iorming the side walls of the car, synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming portions of the floor of the car extending downwardly from each end of the car toward said hoppers, supporting means for said door boards intermediate the sides of the car, and means rigidly connecting the portions of said oor boards between the said bolsters and hoppers to the adjacent side wall boards, said means at each side of the car comprising a metal plate overlappingly secured to the inner face of the last named side board and of the ange of the side sill and having a flange underlying and rigidly secured tc the adjacent portion of the adjoining floor board, an angular member overlappingly secured to the inner face of the said last named side wall board and to the top face of the adjacent floor board, and a metal plate overlappingly secured to the outer face of the said last named side wall board and of said iiange of the adjacent side sill and being connected to said angular member.

5. The improvement in railway hoppers cars of the type having side sills provided with upright legs, side stakes, a cross bea-rer having two of the side stakes at opposite ends thereof, and metal sheets diverging downwardly on opposite sides of the cross bearer respectively having upturned flanges at their outer edges, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming side wall portions of the car on opposite sides of the cross bearer, said boards being secured to said side stakes and portions of the lower ends of said boards terminating above the upturned flanges of said downwardly diverging metal sheets, a metal plate overlappingly secured to the outer face of the lower portion of each of said boards and to the outer faces of the adjacent portions of each of said upturned flanges and of each of said upright legs of the side sills, and an additional metal plate overlappingly secured to the inner face of each of said upturned anges and of the lower portion of each of said boards.

6. The improvement in railway hoppers cars of the type having side sills Kprovided with upright legs, side'stakes, a cross bearer having two of the side stakes at opposite ends thereof, and metal sheets diverging downwardly on opposite sides of the cross bearer respectively having upturned flanges at their outer edges, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming side wall portions vof the car on opposite sides of said cross bearer and secured to said stakes in substantial vertical alignment with the upright legs of the side sills, rigidly connected metal plates arranged on opposite sides of the lower portions of each of said boards for enclosing the lower edges thereof, the metal plates connected to each of said boards being also secured in overlapping relation to opposite sides of the adjacent one of said upturned anges and the outer one of said plates being also overlappingly secured to the outer face of the vertical leg of the adjacent side sill.

'7. In a railway hopper car having end and side walls and provided with a center sill and with hoppers arranged on opposite sides of the sill, an inclined floor extending downwardly from the end of the car to the adjacent hoppers, said floor comprising laterally spaced synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials, a metal splice lplate and supporting means extending longitudinally of the car above the center sill rigidly connecting said boards, one end of said splice plate being rigidly secured to the adjacent end wall of the car and the other end thereof being connected to the center sill, and means connecting said boards to the end of the side walls of the car.

8. In a railway hopper car having end and side walls and provided with a center sill and with hoppers arranged on opposite sides of the sill, an inclined floor extending downwardly from the end of the car to the adjacent hoppers, said floor comprising laterally spaced synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the car, a metal splice plate rigidly connecting said boards, an angularly shaped reinforcing member extending longitudinally of said splice plate, said reinforcing member and splice plate being connected at one end to the adjacent end wall of the car and being connected at the other end to said center sill, and means connecting said boards to the end and side walls of the car.

9. In a railway hopper car having side and end walls and provided with a center sill and with hoppers arranged on opposite sides of the sill, laterally spaced synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials extending downwardly from an end of the car to the adjacent hoppers forming a portion of the car fioor, a splice plate extending longitudinally of the car rigidly connecting said boards, a reinforcing member extending longitudinally of the splice plate, a connector member rigidly secured to the lower end of the splice plate and the top wall of the center sill, the upper ends of said splice plate and reinforcing member being connected to the end wall of the car and their lower ends being connected to said hood of the center sill, and means connecting said boards to the side and end Walls of the car.

10. The improvement in railway hopper cars of the type having end and side walls, corner posts connecting said walls and side and end plates secured to the corner posts, said improvement comprising synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials forming the end walls of the car secured to the corner posts, plates arranged on opposite sides of the upper portions of said boards for rigidly connecting them to the end plates and for enclosing their upper edges, inclined floors extending downwardly from said end walls including synthetic boardsk of ligno-cellulosic materials, angular members extending transversely of the car overlappingly secured to opposite faces of adjoining portions of said end wall boards and floor boards for rigidly connecting said boards and enclosing their adjoining edges, one of said angular members at each end of the car having its opposite ends secured to the adjacent corner posts, and means connecting said floor boards to the side walls of the car.

ll. The improvement in railway hopper cars having a center sill and corner posts, consisting of synthetic boards of iigno-ceilulosic materials forming the end walls of the car secured to the corner posts, laterally spaced synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic fmaterials extending downwardly from the ends of the car forming a portion of the car oor, a metal splice plate extending longitudinally of the car rigidly connecting said floor boards, a transversely extending member at each end of the car rigidly secured to said corner posts and having angularly disposed flanges overlapy pingly secured to the outer face of adjacent portions of the end wall boards and oor boards, additional transversely extending members at each end of the car overlappingly secured to the inner faces of adjacent portions of the end wall boards and oor boards, and a reinforcing member extending longitudinally of the splice sheet, the upper ends of the splice sheet and reinforcing member being secured to said rst mentioned transverse member and the lower ends of the splice sheet and reinforcing member being secured to the center sill.

12. The improvement in railway hopper cars of the type having corner posts and rigidly connected side and end plates secured to the corner posts, said improvement comprising synthetic 10 boards of ligno-cellulosic materials secured to the corner posts forming the end Walls of the car, plates arranged on opposite sides of the upper portions of said boards for rigidly connecting them to the end plates and for enclosing the upper edges of said boards, laterallyT spaced synthetic boards of ligno-cellulosic materials eXtending downwardly from the ends of the car forming a portion of the car floor, a metal splice plate extending longitudinally of the car rigidly connecting said floor boards, a support for said splice plate, and angularly shaped members respectively secured to opposite sides of adjoining portions of the end Wall boards and the floor boards enclosing the adjoining edges of said boards, said splice sheet being rigidly secured at its upper end to one of the said angularly disposed members being rigidly secured at its lower portion to said center sill.

WILLIAM E. WINE. 

